


Invisible Strings

by DionysusBlinded



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Alternate Universe - Mortal, Alternate Universe - No Demigods (Percy Jackson), Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bi-Curiosity, California, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Percabeth Week, Platonic Soulmates, Rick Riordan Demigod Universe | Riordanverse, Romantic Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25899391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DionysusBlinded/pseuds/DionysusBlinded
Summary: Wisegirl and Seaweedbrain met in an online greek mythology chatroom. One year later, the pair decide to meet up in California. From the perspective of Annabeth, read to see what will happen when she finally meets up with her best friend.age bend: annabeth and percy are 18 years oldalt universe: all mortals, no demigodskina inspired by invisible strings/cornelia street/fearless by taylor swift
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Juniper/Grover Underwood, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace, Thalia Grace/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano
Comments: 10
Kudos: 99





	1. Boy on the Plane

**Author's Note:**

> direct message key:
> 
> bold- annabeth  
> underlined- percy

Annabeth ran up to the gate just as they called her name on the speakers.

“Hold on, I’m here. Sorry, sorry.” Annabeth pulled her boarding pass out of her pocket, handing it to the attendant.

“That’s fine ma’am, please make your way to the plane,” the man said. He gave her back her pass and closed the door behind her.

On the plane, Annabeth made her way down the aisle. Being late had caused all the open seating to fill up. The last seat open was in the very back row. Next to the open seat, a boy with messy black hair was leaning against the window. She only knew he was awake by the way his hands were clenched around the armrests.

Annabeth shoved her duffle back into the overhead compartment and took her seat. After buckling her seat belt she grabbed her book out of her backpack. Within ten minutes the plane was making its way down the runway. When the plane left the ground the boy next to Annabeth jumped in his seat.

At 10,000 feet the boy with the messy hair opened his eyes. He looked at Annabeth for a moment before taking his phone out of his pocket. Annabeth looked up from her book to look at the boy’s face. His skin was a nice natural tan and his eyes were a gorgeous sea green. He looked up from his game, meeting Annabeth’s eyes. She jerked her head away, her face burning.

An hour into the flight Annabeth closed her book, marking her page by dog ear. She removed her phone from her bag, switched to the  _ People Atlas _ app, and flipped to her direct message with ‘Seaweedbrain’.

**hey! my plane took off a while ago. you in the air too?**

yea, but gods do i h8 flying

**nerd 😪**

whatever… how’s ur seat? comphy?

**as ‘comphy’ as you can get on a two seat per row plane. the flight was open seating though so i’m stuck in the back :/**

me too! exciting. do you get the row to yourself at least?

**no, there's a boy next to me, he looks about my age**

oh yea? he’s not messing with you, is he?

**definitely, he’s tried to kiss me three times. no! he’s just messed around on his phone for the most part. he is very cute though ;]**

GASP! tell that jerk to back off… u abandoning me wisegirl🥺 ?

**never >;)**

good🥰 oki i think i’m gonna nap for the rest of the flight, goodnight wisegirl

**goodnight seaweedbrain**

For the rest of the flight, Annabeth listened to Taylor Swift's new album and relaxed with her eyes closed.

  
  


Annabeth woke up to someone tapping her shoulder. “Hey,” said a man's voice, “we’re on the ground again.” The boy in the seat next to her was half out of his seat, obviously ready to get off the plane.

“Oh, sorry. Let me just grab my bag.” She stood up and opened the overhead compartment. “Oh geez, last ones off. Why didn’t you wake me sooner?”

“You looked peaceful. Plus I'm not in a time crunch. Oh gods, I hope you aren't. Sorry if you are uh..”

“Annabeth. You?” The two started making their way down the aisle, nodding in thanks to the flight attendants.

“Percy.” Leaving the gate, Percy pointed to a patch on Annabeth’s duffle bag. “Hey, my friend reads those comics! She’s obsessed with them.” He laughed. His laugh was cute, the sound made Annabeth smile softly.

“Half-blood Files? I love them. I started reading them around when I was seven and I just haven’t been able to stop.” She chuckled. The airport was strangely empty for 10 pm.

“My friend tried to get me to read them a while back, said they were ‘true to the mythologies’ so I read them.” The boy’s face reddened slightly when he mentioned his friend. “They were pretty good, and everything seemed to check out when it came to the myths.”

“Well make sure to tell your friend that I said they have amazing tastes,” Annabeth said as they started down the escalator.

“Oh yeah, I’ll make sure to let her know ‘the stranger in the airport said you have amazing taste’. I’m sure she’d appreciate it.”

Annabeth laughed. “Are you out here visiting her?” She and Percy walked to baggage claim. Only a few fliers were left waiting for their bags.

“Yeah actually. I’m really excited to finally see her.” Percy grinned.

“Long time apart?”

“You could say that.” He rubbed the back of his neck “What about you. What are you doing in California?”

Annabeth spotted her suitcase. “One second.” She jogged over to the carousel and picked up her bag. She walked back to Percy with her bright orange suitcase. “I’m actually here to see a friend too. Well, that and I’m checking out the campus of the school I’m going to next fall. I’m going to try to convince my friend to come along too.”

“Cool. I hope you succeed in convincing them.”

“Me too. Do you see your bag?” Annabeth lifted up on her tiptoes. The carousel was empty, her’s had been the last bag.

“Oh, I didn’t check a bag. All my stuff is in here.” He patted his blue backpack. “It’s just dark outside and I wanted to make sure you got to a cab safe.” Blush rose on his cheeks.

Annabeth turned her head. She could feel her cheeks getting hot. “Oh, uh, thanks.”

Together, they walked outside. Sitting by the curb was a bright green car. When the driver saw Percy and Annabeth his face lit up. He opened the car door and hopped out, almost getting hit by another driver.

“Percy! Buddy!” The driver jogged over to them by the doors. Percy gave him a bear hug. “Is this her? Wow, you guys were on the same plane? That’s crazy! Wow dude I’m so happy to see you. It's been so long.” The words spilled out of his mouth so quickly Percy couldn't find a pause to get anything in.

Finally, Percy said “No, no, this isn’t her. Grover, this is Annabeth. Annabeth this is my best buddy Grover. We sat next to each other on the plane." Grover nodded.

“Ah, well you ready to go, man? I got some enchiladas waitin’ for us at home.” He laughed.

Annabeth shivered. She opened up her bag and found that her jacket wasn't there. “Oh curses.”

“Here.” Annabeth looked up to see Percy handing her a faded blue jacket.

“Oh, I can’t take that. You’ll probably never get it back.”

Percy smiled. “I insist. I’ve got tons just like it back home.”

Annabeth accepted the hoodie. “Thanks,” she muttered. She dropped her bags and slid the hoodie over her head. The jacket smelled like sea salt and Manhattan exhaust. “AHS Swim?”

“My high school swim team. I was the all-star,” he said jokingly.

“Ha, how very modest of you.”

Percy’s friend, Grover, cleared his throat. “Uh Percy, you ready to go?”

“Yeah let me just make sure Annabeth gets a cab. You can go to the car, I'll be right there.”

“Oh actually, my friend is picking me up. Speak of Hera, I think that’s her.” A jet black truck came speeding around the corner, loud music cutting through the night air.

“Woo Hoo!” the girl inside the truck shouted as she pulled up to the curb. “Annabeth! My girl, great to see you.” The girl hopped out of the truck.

She wore a shirt that had the words “death to Barbie” printed on it, silver spikes peaked out of her black hair.

“Thalia!” Annabeth ran to the girl, jumping in her arms. “It’s been so long!”

“Too long.” Thalia looked at Percy, her face switched from confusion to jealousy to happiness in two seconds. “Who’s this?” She gasped. “Is this, you know,  _ him _ ?”

Annabeth laughed. “Gods no, we don’t meet up till Friday you know that. Funny you asked though, his friend, Grover, asked if I was some girl he knew too. This is Percy.”

“Hmm. Well nice to meet you, Percy, I’m Thalia.”

Percy cleared his throat. “Yeah uh, nice to meet you too.” He waved awkwardly at Annabeth, his cheeks a barely visible pink in the weak lightning. “Nice to meet you Annabeth, have a good trip. I hope you can convince your friend.”

“Thanks, Percy. I hope you have fun with your girlfriend.”

Percy blushes even harder at ‘girlfriend’.

“Goodnight, Percy.” Annabeth hopped into the front seat of Thalia’s truck.

“Goodnight, Annabeth,” he waved from Grover's tiny neon car.

Annabeth smiled to herself as Thalia drove off, music blasting into the bright California night sky.


	2. The Park

Annabeth woke up to the sun in her eyes and the smell of coffee. The curtains were pushed to the sides. A girl stood in front of them. Annabeth sat up, incomprehensible noises coming from her mouth.

“Good morning to you too, Sleepyhead. I just got back from my jog, you should have come with me. The sky is beautiful in the morning.” The girl wore a purple shirt and grey joggers. Her long brown hair was tied back in two messy french braids. “There’s coffee. I’m going to shower, you should too.” The girl walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. A minute later, water started running.

Someone laughed behind Annabeth. She turned around to see Thalia leaning against the door frame. “Sorry about that. I should have warned you, Reyna’s an early riser.”

Annabeth made a ‘humph’ sound. “Yeah and an aggressive one at that. That girl could command an army.” She stood up, folding her grey blanket and placing it back on the couch neatly.

“Sorry, you had to bunk on the couch by the way. The second room is storage right now, otherwise, I would have cleared the bed for you,” Thalia explained as she followed a groggy Annabeth to the kitchen. “Oh, mugs are here.” She grabbed a mug shaped like an owl from a cabinet and handed it to Annabeth. Annabeth nodded in thanks. “So when do you meet up with your friend? Are you sure it’s safe? What if he’s some psycho, you did meet him on the internet.”

“Thalia relax. Uh, where’s creamer- thanks. He’s not going to kill me. I trust him. Plus we’ve called a couple of times and he doesn’t sound like some old man so I think I’m good. Thanks for worrying though.” Annabeth kissed Thalia on the cheek. “Ugh, what time is it.”

“Annabeth, it’s almost ten, you should have woken up ages ago. You’re lucky I convinced Reyna to let you sleep in for those extra three hours. I don’t think she’ll be as lenient tomorrow.”

“Probably not.” Annabeth and Thalia turned around to see Reyna standing in jeans and a magenta tank-top. Her feet were bare as she walked over to the door. “I’ll be right back, I have to grab something from the car.”

“Okay, babe. Oh, will you grab my CD case too?” Reyna smiled and nodded. “Thank you. Love you!”

“I love you too,” Reyna said as she closed the door behind her.

“Does she walk around the apartment building barefoot a lot?” Annabeth asked, digging through her bag for some clothes.

“Yeah.” Thalia smiles to herself. Annabeth found herself being jealous of how easy they were together, how simple their relationship was.

_ Maybe Seaweedbrain and I could be like that one day _ she thought. She shook the thought out of her head.

“I’m going to hop in the shower. I might head over to the park after.”

“Okay.” As Annabeth was closing the door Thalia added, “By the way, the shower is all messed up so warm is cold and cold is hot. Got it?”

“Uh, yeah, I think so. Thanks.”

  
  


An hour later, Annabeth emerged from the bathroom, showered, dressed, teeth brushed, and ready for the day. She looked in the mirror one last time. Her blonde hair was tamed into a braid, there were small circles under her eyes from staying up so late. She wore light wash jeans and a white t-shirt. By the front door, she laced up her dirty old converse and cuffed her jeans. She grabbed her backpack and even though it was 79° outside she grabbed the hoodie Percy had given her the night before.

“Thalia, Reyna I’m heading out!” Reyna shot her a thumbs up from the couch. Thalia nodded, distracted by the video game they were playing.

As Annabeth closed the door she heard Thalia shout from inside, “Reyna! I can’t believe you! You let a creeper kill me!”

“Sacrifices were made,” Reyna replied coolly.

Annabeth smiled, locking the front door.

Annabeth found the park fairly quickly. Though it had been years, town hadn’t changed too much. She got turned around once when she passed  _ Sweet Ex Oh _ which used to be  _ Harley’s Barber _ . She just asked for directions and got back on track. At the park, she walked down the paths, glad she had brought a jacket because the winds were strong and cold. A group of protesters were organized near the center fountain. After ten minutes of walking idly, Annabeth found a nice bench in the shade of the trees. She brought her phone out of her bag and messaged  _ Seaweedbrain. _

**heyhey, what are you up to today?**

nothin much, i was going to play some games but i think i might head outside instead, it looks nice out

**it is, but it’s windy so bring a jacket :)**

yes ma’am, i’ll make sure i have a jacket. what are you up to?

**i’m just walking around, seeing what's changed since i was here last**

anything big?

**no, not really. just a barbershop and it looks like they revamped the cinema some. how are you liking it here? Anything exciting happen yet?**

no really, my buddy left me alone at his apartment today so there wasn't much to do. there were some spots i wanted to check out before we meet up on friday so i might go see those now

**oh? wow yeah, friday, two days i can’t believe it, after months and months i finally get to meet you in person!**

i know! i’m super pumped!! anyway, i gotta go, see ya wisegirl ;)

**bye seaweedbrain <3**

  
  


Shutting off her phone, Annabeth looked up. A boy with messy black hair was walking in her direction, his head down looking at his phone. She was about to say something when the boy tripped on a root sticking up in the dirt. He fell, his phone flying out of his hand.

“Percy! Oh my gods, are you okay.” She ran over to him, kneeling on the ground. “You got a road burns on your hands, does it hurt? Here, I think I have wipes in my backpack.”

“Annabeth? What are you doing here? Ouch,” Percy winched when the wipe touched his palm.

“It’s a park dummy, I’m enjoying the view. Why weren’t you watching where you were going,” she scolded.

“I was talking to someone,” Percy explained as Annabeth applied a baby blue bandaid to his hand.

“Was it that girlfriend of yours?” Annabeth helped Percy stand up. “I might have to have a few words with this girl if you keep hurting yourself.” Percy blinked at her. Annabeth looked down and realized she was wearing his sweatshirt. “Oh sorry, you can have it back, let me just-” she started to take it off.

“It’s fine. I told you, I have plenty just like it. It’s cold out and anyway I already have a jacket, see?”

Percy spun slowly, showing off his plain black zip-up jacket. Under it, he wore a bright orange shirt with the Half-Blood Files pegasus printed on it and dark blue jeans. His black hair ruffled in the wind. Annabeth smiled at the sight of his shirt.

She nodded in approval. “Oh your phone, here” she knelt down and picked it up. There was a crack across the screen. She sucked in air sharply. “Oh, is that a new crack? I wouldn’t be surprised, you fell pretty hard.”

Percy accepted his phone back. He examined it and said, “Nah, it’s been like that for a while.” He slipped it into his back pocket. “So what are you up to? I was heading over to the movie theater, but I think I got lost.”

Annabeth laughed. “Yeah, the cinema is on Pecan. We’re on Orange Wood.” The corner of Percy’s mouth quirked.

“Oh. My bad.”

“It’s fine, easy mistake to make in a new town. You want me to help you find it?”

A smile grew on his face. “Sounds great. Do you know what movies are playing?” As Percy and Annabeth made their way through the park, one of the protesters waved to them. Annabeth recognized him as Grover, Percy’s friend from the airport. He was holding up a sign that read “Stop Gaea From Warming! Stop Climate Change!” They waved to him as they passed. Percy was only a few inches taller than Annabeth but his stride was bigger so Annabeth had to quicken her pace to keep up with him.

When they reached the Theater Annabeth stopped. “Well, here you are. See you later, Percy.”

Percy frowned. “You’re not going to watch with me?” His green eyes were perfect for a puppy dog look. Annabeth’s heart did a little skip inside her chest.

She faked looking at her watch. “I guess I’ve got time to spare.” The sad puppy dog look was replaced with a bright smile. Annabeth couldn't help but smile back.

“Perfect! I’ll buy tickets if you buy popcorn.” Together they walked up to the ticket counter.


	3. Cinema 'Date'

Inside the cinema was just as colorful as Annabeth remembered. It was obvious some work had been done to freshen the place up: the adding of some new arcade games, the stairs leading up to the second floor had been refurbished and from what she could tell, the bathrooms had been redone too. The smell of popcorn and hot butter hit her nose right when Percy opened the door. She walked in Percy right behind her. They walked up to the ticket clerk, he checked their tickets and they made their way to the concessions.

“One large popcorn and a blue rasberry slush please,” Percy said to the girl. “What do you want?” 

“Well since I’m assuming the popcorn is for us to share,” Annabeth punched Percy’s arm softly, “I’ll get a blue and red mixed slurpee please.”

“Right away, Ma’am.” The girl turned around and began working on their drinks.

“How do you know I won’t just eat all the popcorn?” Percy teased. He slid a hand through his dark hair, leaving strands standing up. Annabeth was tempted to smooth them down. She pushed the idea out of her head, sliding her hands into her coat pocket just to be safe.

“Because, I’m paying, so I’m going to eat it all.” Annabeth stuck her tongue out at him and the cashier came back. “Oh thank you. How much?”

“Twenty dollars, Ma’am.” Annabeth handed her a twenty and a five. “Oh, this is too much, here.” The girl tried to hand it back.

“You can keep it. Thank you, have a nice day, uh,” she looked at the girl’s name tag, “Hazel.”

Hazel smiled, her gold eyes crinkling. She waved as Percy and Annabeth made their way to the theater.

Inside the theater, there were only three other watchers. The previews were playing, something about a man and his little yellow people stealing the moon. Percy led Annabeth up the stairs to the second to last row. Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

“What?” he said defensively. “Sitting too close hurts my neck.”

“Pfff, okay whatever, _baby_ ,” she stuck her tongue out at him once again.

“Okay yeah, call me the baby. You’ve stuck your tongue out at me twice, now look who’s childish.”

“I’ll take the popcorn and go sit in the front, mister. Don’t you mess with me.” Keeping the popcorn away from him, Annabeth took her seat next to Percy. He reached across her to grab a handful. With a wink, he shoved it all in his mouth. Annabeth laughed with a snort, making Percy laugh. Some old lady, looking to be in her late forties, looked back at the pair accusingly. The look only made them laugh harder.

Thirty minutes into the movie, half of the popcorn was on the floor. For some unknown reason, Annabeth had let Percy talk her into the featured horror flick this month. The main conflict surrounded a cyclops, which just so happened to be one of Annabeth’s worst fears (next to spiders of course). Every time the monster and his one yellow eye would appear on screen she would jump in her seat, sending popcorn up and onto the floor. From the corner of her eye, she could see Percy suppressing a smile. She swore once they got out of the theater she would beat him up.

Something hit her shoulder. Looking over, she saw that Percy had fallen asleep.  _ How in Hades did he fall asleep?! _ Up close Annabeth could see that there were light freckles all over his nose and cheekbones. The light from the screen projected shades of blue on his hair and face. Annabeth slowly rested her head against his. Percy’s hair smelt like he’d just been in the ocean.

When the lights came on Annabeth’s eyes opened slowly.  _ The movies ended already? I must have fallen asleep.  _ The cleanup crew was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Hazel, the cashier from earlier waved at Annabeth. With a smile, Annabeth waved back. Standing next to Hazel, looking awkward in his purple uniform, was the muscular boy who had checked their tickets earlier. Together they moved across the floor and began sweeping under the seats.

“Percy, wake up. It’s time to go, the movies over.” Percy made a noise that could have meant either ‘wake me up in five minutes’ or ‘ hurry the minotaur’. Annabeth used her hand to lift Percy’s head off her shoulder. There was a small spot on her sweatshirt. “Percy wake up, we have to go.”

“Why? I don’t want to.” Percy opened his eyes. “The movie is over? But it just started.”

Annabeth collected her things and stood up. She offered Percy her hand. “No, it didn’t. We just fell asleep.”

Looking around, Percy furrowed his brows. “Why’s there popcorn everywhere? Did I spill it?”

Annabeth blushed out of embarrassment. “Yeah, sure. Let’s go.”

They made their way out of the theater. Before they could reach the front doors, Percy grabbed Annabeth’s wrists. “Hey let's take a picture,” he said, pointing at the photo strip booth. “Please,” he asked with those dumb puppy dog eyes. Annabeth couldn’t say no. “Yay!”

Inside the booth, Percy put in a dollar. The camera counted down. 3. 2. 1. Percy put his hand behind Annabeth’s head with two fingers up, Annabeth stuck her tongue out (a signature move at this point). 3. 2. 1. Annabeth slung her arm around Percy’s shoulder, he attempted to pull Annabeth’s hood down over her face (producing a blurred photo). 3. 2. 1. As a last resort of retaliation, Annabeth placed her lips on Percy’s cheek at the last minute.

Outside the booth, Annabeth retrieved their photo strips. “Look how red your face is in this last one!” Annabeth's laugh echoed through the lobby. Percy blushed once again. “Oh I’m just messing with you, these are good pictures. I’ll cherish them forever,” she teased.

“Oh yeah? Me too. Let's sign them.” Percy pulled a pen from his pocket. He took the strip from Annabeth’s hands. Using the photo booth as a vertical desk he scribbled on the back of the photos. Handing it back, she saw that he had written the date, his name, and a phone number. Annabeth felt her face grow hot.

“Oh give me that.” She snatched the pen from his hand and wrote on his pictures: ‘you drool when you sleep <3’.

“I do not,” Percy said after getting the pictures back.

“Oh, you do too. I have the spot on my jacket to prove it, see?” She pointed at the already dry area where Percy had previously drooled. Percy leaned in, his chin between his thumb and index finger, pretending to inspect her shoulder. He lifted his eyes and met Annabeths gaze. Quickly he stood up straight, clearing his throat.

“So uhm. That movie was pretty long, it's getting dark out. You want me to walk you home?”

“That would be nice,” Annabeth said, looking at her shoes.

  
  


“You were gone for a long time. Thalia was getting worried.” Reyna put a plate of rice on the table when Annabeth walked in the door. “Your dinner was getting cold.”

“Oh don’t listen to her,” Thalia said, “she was worried too. She wanted to call the police but I convinced her that you know how to handle yourself. And look! Here you are, back home safe and sound.” She walked over to Annabeth and gave her a hug. “Glad you’re not dead in a ditch somewhere, Chase.”

“Gee thanks, Thal. Thank you, Reyna, it means a lot that you were worried.” Annabeth placed her things down on the counter and took a seat in front of the plate Reyna had set for her.

“So where were you for,” Thalia checked the clock, “almost seven hours. Get lost?”

“Why would she get lost if she knows how to handle herself,” Reayna said pointedly to Thalia. Thalia stuck her tongue out at her girlfriend. (where do you think Annabeth learned it?)

“No, well yes, but that’s not why I was gone so long. I went to see a movie.” The rice was delicious.  _ Reyna should open a restaurant _ , Annabeth thought.

“Oh, which one? I hear that they just opened up a few new ones.” Reyna snatched an apple up form the counter and started polishing it with her shirt. Satisfied, she put it back with the others.

“Sea of Monsters.”

“Doesn’t that feature a cyclops? You  _ hate _ cyclopses. Thalia had mentioned that about you.”

“My friend wanted to see it.” Annabeth shrugged. “He seemed adamant so I said whatever.”

“Friend? Is this the friend you came to see?”

“Oh ho ho. Or is this friend that Percy guy from the airport?” Thalia stood over Annabeth’s bag, she held the photo strip from the theater in her hands. She flipped it over to see the number written on the back. “Gasp, Annabeth you player. Frist that seaweed head or whatever, now this?”

“Let me see.” Reyna walked over to Thalia, taking the strip from her before Annabeth could reach it. “Hmm, he’s pretty. I see the appeal. Does your online boy know about Percy? I think he should like to.”

“Guys! _It'sseaweedbrain_ and give that back!” Annabeth jumped to grab the pictures from Reyna but she lifted then above her head, just out of reach. “Reyna!”

“Humph, fine.” Reyna gave the photo’s back. “He’s cute. You two must get along well or I don’t think those photos would be so cute. Anyway, it’s almost nine, I’m heading to bed. Thalia, are you coming?”

“Yeah, babe. Goodnight, Annabeth, don’t stay up too late.”

“Night Thals.”

After cleaning up her plate form dinner, Annabeth put on her pajamas and sat down on the couch. She slipped the pictures out from the pocket of her jacket. She looked over the pictures again. Reyna was right, they were pretty cute. Both of them were smiling except for the last one where Percy just looked dumbfounded. It was adorable. Finally, she turned the strip over and typed the number into her phone.

[9:03 PM]: hey percy :) it’s annabeth

[9:04 PM]: annabeth! i was wondering when u’d text

[9:04 PM]: did you enjoy the movie 2day?

[9:05 PM]: to be quite honest, no haha

[9:05 PM]: i hate cyclopses 0.0

[9:07 PM]: h8er

[9:08 PM]: tyson would never let you in our club >:)

[9:10 PM]: gasp :0

[9:11 PM]: why not?

[9:12 PM]: tyson <3 cyclopses

[9:13 PM]: and ponies but we don’t need 2 talk about that right now

[9:16 PM]: HAHAHAHAH!!!

[9:18 PM]: :D

[9:21 PM]: so what are u up 2?

[9:22 PM]: not having too much fun without me are u?

[9:23 PM]: i’d never dream of it ;)

[9:30 PM]: i sure hope so

[9:32 PM]: sorry grover keeps trying to steal my phone

[9:34 PM]: oh? well tell him i said hi

[9:35 PM]: hi grover!

[9:39 PM]: HI ANBABETH

[9:39 PM]: YOURE MAKIGN PETCY BLUSH

[9:44 PM]: sorry that was grover, please ignore him

[9:50 PM]: annabeth? u there?

[10:08 PM]: yeah, yeah sorry

[10:08 PM]: thalia came out of her room and needed help

[10:09 PM]: apparently 10 o’clock is the perfect time to clear a space for me on an actual bed

[10:10 PM]: actual bed?

[10:12 PM]: yeah, i slept on the couch last night

[10:13 PM]: i think she felt bad :/

[10:16 PM]: oh lol

[10:17 PM]: grovers girlfriend juniper made him buy and air mattress for me haha

[10:18 PM]: she loves me :-)

[10:21 PM]: ah yes, what's not to love about you? loud, loveable, and uh, lasso

[10:23 PM]: lasso?

[10:24 PM]: shhh it’s late, me brain no worky

[10:25 PM]: also i couldn't think of anything else besides lazy but that doesn't seem to fit

[10:27 PM]: i’ll let u sleep then, goodnight annabeth :o<3

[10:28 PM]: what is that supposed to be?

[10:30 PM]: what? :o<3 ?

[10:31 PM]: it’s blowing a kiss :(

[10:34 PM]: oh

[10:35 PM]: goodnight, percy :o<3

  
[10:37 PM]: :’) she's learning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To differ between the texts from Annabeth and Percy, the paragraph breaks are switches in who's texting. so like:
> 
> [1:03 PM]: hey :) would be Annabeth
> 
> [1:06 PM]: howdyhowdy  
> [1:0& PM]: what r u up to? would be Percy
> 
> \+ the online messages will have the bold/underlined text and imessage will have the timestamps, if this is confusing please let me know so I can change it or elaborate more :)
> 
> thank you for reading!!


	4. Morning Jog

Annabeth woke up early the next day. Getting up she checked the girl's room. Reyna and Thalia were both sprawled out across the bed yet still tangled together. Thalia’s short pixie cut was shocking against the white bedding. Reyna mumbled something in her sleep. Thalia grabbed her hand. Annabeth found it cute that though they were both asleep they could comfort each other without trying. Quietly she closed the door.

She made her way into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. Checking the time she saw that it was 4:26 am. She put two fingers to her temples. Why did she wake up so  _ early? _

**hey, sorry if you’re asleep, i just woke up :/**

gods it's 4:30

why r u awake?

**well i didn't TRY to wake up this early, i just did**

**i think i might go for a jog or something idk**

**why are you up?**

idk just am, same as u

need company on that jog?

**absolutely not**

**it’s one more day, i’m sure you can make it ;)**

wiiiiiissssseeeegiiiirrrrlllllllllllllll

why must u do this too me!?

**oh shush**

**so what are you up to today?**

dunno might get some coffee later

anywhere good?

**yeah, there's this one little shop downtown, Solace Brew**

nice, nice i think i’ll go in an hour or something

**alright, well i’m going to go get dressed so i can jog**

**good morning swb <3 try to get more sleep**

will do wisegirl

have fun on your run

Putting her playlist on pause Annabeth stepped out of the cool morning air and into Solace Coffee. There were only four other people in the shop, including the gloomy-looking boy at the barista's station.  _ Oh, _ Annabeth thought,  _ Seaweedbrain could be in here right now. _

She looked around. There was a girl with a feather in her choppy brown hair sitting by the window, sipping her drink and scanning a page of ‘The Dead Poet’s Society’, with her sat a scrawny boy that obviously had ADHD, an old man in a wheelchair was scanning the muffins, and of course there was-

“Good Morning, welcome to the Solace Brew. I’m Nico, may I take your order?” The gloomy-looking boy, Nico, stared at Annabeth with tired eyes.

“Good morning, Nico, could I get a caramel iced coffee please?” Annabeth brought out her phone and slipped cash out of the yellow case.

“Sure thing, Ma’am. What size will that be and can I get a name for the order?” The boy pulled a sharpie from the back of his head and black hair spilled to his shoulders.

“Annabeth. A large please.”

“Okay, that will be $7.19.” Annabeth handed him a ten. He messed around with the cash register and handed her her change. “Give me a minute.” He turned around and began making her drink.

One of Annabeth’s favorite things about the shop was the book store in the back. Behind a dusty velvet curtain was a room filled to the ceiling with shelves. Annabeth had gotten her first copy of Half-Blood Files here. She had sat down on one of the tiny bean bags and had read for hours. Oftentimes when she would run away when she was younger, this is where she’d come. Mr. Solace was always kind to Annabeth, bringing her warm cups of hot chocolate, introducing her to new stories each week. Annabeth ran her fingers along the spines of all the worlds she had familiarized herself with as a child.

“Annabeth?”

She turned around to be greeted by blue eyes and a familiar smile. “Will! Hey, how are you?” Will hugged her. “You’re tall.”

Will laughed. “Yeah, well I’m grown up now. I’m good. I’ve been helping out in the shop a lot recently, I even got my boyfriend a job.”

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. “Boyfriend? Wait, you mean the grumpy boy out front?”

“That’s him. He’s just grumpy because it’s so early. I bet if you met him after a good night’s rest you’d like him a lot.”

Annabeth punched his arm. “Solace! You dog, way to go. I can understand that. I need my coffee too. Speaking of, it should be done now. I’ll come back later. Bye, Will! Tell your dad I said hey.” Annabeth hugged Will one more time before walking back into the coffee portion of Solace Brew.

She spotted her coffee on the counter and grabbed it. She took a sip. “Oh my gods, Nico this is amazing,” she told the barista. “You seriously need to think about opening your own shop.” She winked at him. Nico smiled politely back at her. “Have a nice day. Congrats to you and Will.” Annabeth raised her cup in a ‘cheers’ sort of manner, Nico’s face flushed severely. Laughing to herself, Annabeth walked out the door.

Not only did the cold air hit her like a brick, so did a body. She grumbled, attempting to wipe a splash of coffee from her sports bra.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you.”

“Yeah well watch where you’re going next time, Buddy.” She looked at the boy. He looked about her age with blond hair cut cleanly like a military officers. He had light blue eyes hidden behind wire-framed glasses (like an old man’s she noted).

“Sorry. I was just-”

“Jason wait up!”

There he was. “Percy? Gods, wow, I can’t go anywhere without you showing up.” Percy and Annabeth both laughed. “You know this kid?”

“Uh, yeah. This is Jason. He lives down the hall from Grover. A friend of mine told me about this place so I was heading over to check it out when I ran into him. He agreed to come with me.” Percy shrugged.

“Hi, yeah. Jason Grace. You are?” Jason stuck a hand out for Annabeth to shake. His grip was firm.

“Annabeth Chase. Did you say Grace?” Jason's eyes widened in alarm. “Chill out, I’m not accusing you of murdering my dad. I was just wondering because my friend Thalia has a little brother named Jason but she hasn’t seen him in years.”

“Thalia?” The face he made reminded Annabeth of the meme lady with the equations around her face. She suppressed a laugh. “You said, Thalia Grace?”

“Yeah, I’m staying at her house. I can call her for you if you’d like.” Annabeth reached for her phone but Jason grabbed her wrist. Annabeth looked from his hand to his face. Percy took a step toward them, Annabeth placed a hand on his chest to keep him back.

“Sorry.” Jason jerked his hand away. “No, you don’t need to call her. I go to the same gym as her girlfriend.”

“You know Reyna? And you haven’t stopped by to say hi to Thalia? I’m surprised Reyna hasn’t dragged you back to their place.”

“Reyna doesn’t know.”

“Doesn’t know what? That you’re her girlfriend's lost brother?” Jason nodded and Percy shook his head in disapproval. “That’s messed up, Bro.”

“Look, I just didn’t want her to freak out. If Thalia found out that I’m here she’d go off. She’d yell at me for running away. Our mom was messed up, I didn’t feel like dealing with it anymore.”

“Well, that doesn’t make leaving Thalia any better. She ran away too, right after you did. That’s how we met.”

Jason looked shocked. “She did?”

“Well, she went looking for you. Instead, she found me and our friend Luke. She never really stopped worrying about you, ya know.”

“Well while she found you and Luke, I found my own friends. I think they’re inside actually if you’ll excuse me. Sorry, Percy.” With a lazy, lift of the fingers wave, Jason stalked inside Solace Brew.

“That guy was weird. Huh. He seemed so nice back at Grover's.” Percy stood next to Annabeth with his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. He was standing on the sides of his feet with his toes pointed up. He looked like he would fall over with the slightest breeze. “So,” he clapped his hands together, standing up straight, “what are you up to?” He looked her up and down. 

Suddenly she felt completely naked in her leggings and sports bra.  _ I always wear this to run. What's it matter if it’s Percy looking at me rather than a stranger off the street _ she thought, silently cursing herself for blushing. “Uh, not much. I just finished my jog so I thought I’d get coffee. What are you doing up so early? It’s only six.”

“As I said earlier, a friend recommended this place to me so I thought I’d check it out.”

“Oh, well you can go inside then. I’ll see you-”

“No, no it’s fine. I’m sure my friend and I can come here tomorrow. Wanna hang out?”

“Sure." Annabeth smiled and sipped her coffee. "Can we go back to Thalia’s place first? I’d uh, like to change.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhh idk who Mr. Solace would be, i guess it would just be apollo? but like, mortal? mortal from the beginning i mean, none of that god of the sun nonsense lol
> 
> anyway, thanks for reading :) i hope you enjoyed  
> i'm writing the next chapter right now so part five will probably be out tomorrow
> 
> before you go! i drew the photo booth strip from last chapter and i'll post it on my instagram tomorrow if you'd like to check it out @/dionysusblinded :) thank you!!  
> see you later!


	5. Morning at the Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i have no idea what went on here tbh, anyway thank you for reading
> 
> ps. hi bridgitte!!

Annabeth led Percy to the third floor of Empire Apartments. In front of the door, she removed the apartment number from the wall and grabbed the key from inside. She unlocked the door before placing the key back and returning the number to its place. Percy walked in after her, closing the door behind him. Annabeth lifted a finger to her lips. He nodded and moved to sit on the couch silently. Annabeth opened the door to Thalia and Reyna’s room. Reyna was gone but Thalia was still asleep. She closed the door.

“Okay,” Annabeth whispered, “Thalia is asleep in there so we need to be quiet. Reyna must have left for work already or maybe to see Scippy. They have a horse,” she explained. Percy nodded, his face looking impressed. “I’ll go shower and change. You wait here, uh, there’s coffee if you want. Yeah, that’s it. Give me half an hour.”

After showering, Annabeth washed her face. She dried her hair with a towel till it was no longer dripping down her back then got dressed. Today she wore shorts over black leggings, an orange HBF shirt, and a green flannel. She brushed her wavy hair through with her fingers and tied it back into two braids. She brushed her teeth again (she brushed them before her jog). She reached for her small bottle of perfume.  _ Who am I trying to impress? I don’t need this.  _ She put some on anyway. Lastly, she slipped on her many friendship bracelets and ties her necklace with her father's school ring on it back around her neck.

In the living room, Percy sat in the same spot but now he was sipping coffee and was watching something with the TV on mute. He looked over at her with a smile. He pointed to the door with his eyebrows raised. She knew he meant ‘you ready to go?’. Annabeth held up her index finger.

In the spare room (which Thalia had felt the urge to clean up last night at ten o’clock) Annabeth grabbed her backpack. In it, she put: her wallet, lip-balm (strawberry), her laptop, an extra phone charger, and her journal. She slung it over her shoulder and went to retrieve Percy. She stopped in the doorway.

“Annabeth? What’s a boy doing in my house?”

Thalia stood in front of Percy in her purple pajama pants and MCR t-shirt. Both hands were on her hips. Her bed-head was miraculous.

“Where? I don’t see a boy anywhere.”

“Annabeth don’t play dumb. You know the rules, this is a strictly female household.”

“You had Zeus,” Annabeth pointed out.

“Zeus was a dog.” Thalia looked from Percy to Annabeth. She shrugged. “Whatever. Just get out before Rey gets back.” Annabeth took the opportunity. She grabbed Percy by the arm and dragged him to the door. “Don’t forget your keys. Oh, and have fun on your little date, you can take the car if you want.”

“Thanks, Thals, it’s not a date.” Annabeth snatched the keys off the hook and pushed Percy out. She sighed. “Well. That was- where do you want to go?”

“Let's see. We’ve gotten coffee, been to the movies-”

“You fell asleep but yeah.” Annabeth crossed her arms.

Percy rolled his eyes and continued to list things off on his fingers. “Been to the movies, and taken a walk in the park. Shoot, maybe Thalia was right. Those are all date activities.” Annabeth looked at him, and he met her gaze. He cleared his throat and turned away.

“Okay, well Mr. uh, geez, I don’t know your last name.” Annabeth poked Percy in the ribs. “Mr. Percy what is your last name, I’m simply dying to know,” she said in a mock proper voice.

“Ah, Miss. Chase. I believe Jackson would be the answer you are looking for,” he replied.

“Yes, yes. Well Mr. Jackson, how would you like to accompany me to the beach then.” Annabeth offered Percy her elbow as if they were about to descend a grand staircase to a fancy ball.

“I would find the utmost pleasure in it, Dear.” Percy looped his arm in hers and they started down the hallway to the parking garage.

In the garage, Annabeth realized she had grabbed the wrong keys. Instead of grabbing the keys to Thalia's truck, she had snatched up the keys to Reyna’s Convertable Impala. She shrugged and unlocked the car. Percy hopped in the car. Together they worked on bringing the top down. Conveniently there were already beach towels in the back seat.

“That was easy,” Percy remarked, turning back around in his seat. “Oo, a CD player!” Percy flipped through Reyna’s CD collection as Annabeth started up the car. As they exited the parking garage, Percy slipped one of Reyna’s custom CD’s into the player.

_ How Far We’ve Come _ by Matchbox Twenty started playing as they made their way down the street. Annabeth looked over at Percy. As he sang along his hair flew wildly around his head. From who knows where he had produced a pair of black sunglasses. As if reflecting her mood, the sun came out from behind the clouds. Percy looked at her as he sang.

_ This is going to be a good day _ .

Annabeth parked right next to the sand. From here it looked like she and Percy would have the bach to themselves. Like the hooligan he is, Percy got out of the car by hopping over the door instead of opening it as a normal human would. He grabbed two towels and threw one to Annabeth. They worked together once again to lift the hood.

“I love the beach,” Percy admitted. “Even though I live in the city, I’ve always felt more at home by the sea. I dunno why.” He slid his sunglasses into his hair and gave Annabeth a smile. Annabeth found herself thinking about how his jacket had smelt like the ocean.

“I like the sound of the waves.”

“Yeah. It’s relaxing. Oh!” Percy took a step back from the sand and slipped off his shoes. He threw them through the car window, into the back seat. Annabeth did the same. “Shall we?”

By the water Percy rolled up his jeans to stand in the water, Annabeth sat on the sand. As he tied his jacket around his waist Annabeth noticed a black spot on his arm.

“Is that a tattoo?”

“What? Oh, yeah. A trident, see?” Percy bent over to show her the tattoo. It was a simple trident just like he said. Softly she ran her finger over it.

“When did you get it?”

“A couple of years ago.”

“Oh. It’s uh, cool.” Annabeth cleared her throat and removed her hand.

“Yeah..” Percy stood up. “I’m going to look for some shells, you wanna come?”

“No thanks, I’m fine here. Find me some nice ones, will you?” Percy nodded. Before heading off he left his jacket next to her backpack. Shaking her head, Annabeth picked it up and dusted the sand off. She folded it and placed it nicely inside her backpack. “Dork,” she muttered to herself.

**hey, seaweedbrain**

**did you ever get that coffee?**

**hope you’re having a good day :)**

Annabeth took her journal out of her bag. She flipped to the next empty page. “Dang. I forgot my pencil. Oh, wait-”  _ Percy has that pen he carries around. _ She looked in the pockets of his coat but only found his phone. Three notifications lit up his screen.

“Annie look.” Percy had come back. In his hands, he held a collection of shells. “I got this one for you.” He placed a small piece of pink coral in her palm.

“Coral? Where did this even come from?” Percy shrugged. “Well thank you.” Annabeth untied her necklace and slid the piece of coral on. “How do I look?”

Percy looked at her. His eyes seemed brighter in the sunlight. “Annabeth Chase, you look gorgeous.” He offered her his hand. “Would you give me the honor of joining me in this dance?”

“Dance? But we don’t have any music,” she said, closing her journal and taking his hand anyway.

“Ah but that’s where you’re wrong Annie.” He bent over and scooped his phone up from the sand. He ignored his notifications, scrolling through his music until he found something that seemed to satisfy him.

“Jason Mraz?”

“I’m yours, baby,” he smiled, grabbing her hands. He placed one of her hands on his shoulder then grabbed her waist loosely. Together they danced to  _ I’m yours _ . They held each other a foot apart and their hands were clasped together loosely yet Annabeth had never felt so close to someone. She watched as Percy bopped his to head to the music. She spun when he lifted her hand above their heads.

Laughter spilled out of her. The waves and the seagulls seemed to sing along in their own little parody of the noise. A smile played on Percy's lips for the entire song. When the song was over he let Annabeth flip through to find the next song. Percy had tons of music downloaded. From _Mr. Brightside_ to _Count on Me_. Annabeth selected _Fearless_ by Taylor Swift. When the song started playing she grabbed Percy's hands and let him to the water. Together they sang along in wonky voices and played un the water. Dancing with water under their feet left their pants soaked.

"And I don't know why but with you I'd dance! In a storm in my best dress! Fearless!" they yelled in unison at the top of their lungs.

A group of seagulls a couple of yards away scattered at the sunned loudness. Percy stepped on Annabeth's foot, causing her to stumble. Annabeth streaked as a wave hit her face. The sound was muffled by water and laughter. She got to her feet before Percy could and kicked water in his direction. In playful retaliation he smacked his hand through the water, spraying it in her general direction.

"Jackson!" Annabeth ran deeper into the water. Percy followed her without hesitation.

What seemed like only minutes later but was actually hours, Percy and Annabeth flopped onto the sand next to their stuff. Annabeth pulled her dripping wet flannel off and threw it at Percy's face. He ripped it off and stared at her. His cheeks were pink and his breathing was heavy from the running around and swimming. He rolled onto his stomach and rested his cheek on the sand. Annabeth turned her head to look at him. His dark hair clung to his face and neck, there was sand stuck to his wet clothes. Sitting up, Annabeth pulled one of the towels from her bag. She did her best to dry off her clothes but she was still soaked.

"Ugh I hate wet clothes," Percy mumbled into the sand. He sat up and coughed, spitting sand out of his mouth. "Ugh, I hate sand in my mouth too. I'm hungry. Wanna get lunch? I saw a food truck on the way here."

"Sure. Let's go." Annabeth stood up and offered her hand to Percy. He grabbed up the backpack and took her hand. They were halfway to the car before Annabeth realized they were still holding hands. She took her hand out of his and shoved them in her back pocket.

"Oh." Percy rubbed his neck, looking at his hand. "Sorry," he blushed lightly.

"No, it's fine. You're fine. Lets just uh, let's go, shall we?"

"Yeah," he smiled and ducked into the car.


	6. Part Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO NAME THE CHAPTER SO UHM

The food truck Percy had seen on the way to the beach served tacos. As they made their way up to the window a boy with a manic smile leaned out of it.

“Welcome to  _ The Flame Truck _ ,” he said loudly. “What can I get for you, peeps?”

Percy stepped up to the window. “Uhh, can we get two chicken tacos and two cokes please?” He handed the boy a ten-dollar bill.

“Percy I can pay for my own food,” Annabeth grabbed her wallet from her bag.

“No it’s fine, I’ve got it.”

“Right up. Let Leo do his thang and your food will be right out.” The manic boy, Leo was his name apparently, turned around inside the truck, and started banging things around. Annabeth and Percy shared a look. Percy shrugged and they moved on to sit at one of the picnic tables. The picnic tables faced the edge of the cliff, giving a beautiful view of the beach where they had just been.

“So.. what are you up to tomorrow? Wanna hang out again?” Percy sat on top of the table with his feet on the seat, he rested his chin on his hand.

Annabeth checked the time. 01:39. “I’d love to, but I’ve already got plans for tomorrow night. I’m meeting up with my friend, remember? I told you about him at the airport.” The thought of Seaweedbrain made Annabeth feel guilty.  _ I’ve done nothing wrong, why should I feel guilty for hanging out with a friend. _

“Oh right, yeah. You told me about him.” Percy lingered on ‘him’ for a moment. “Tomorrow is Friday, right? Don’t even worry about it, I have plans too actually.”

“Oh yeah? You going to see your girlfriend?” Girlfriend. The word stirred something in her stomach.

“I guess. I don’t really know if she’s my  _ girlfriend _ , but I- Yeah.” Percy looked down at his fiddling thumbs. “So what are you doing before you and your friend meet up? You said it’s tomorrow night, right?”

“Yeah. I was going to tell Thalia, or at least Reyna, about that Jason dude. I think Thalia deserves to know that her brother is in town.”

“Jason?” Leo walked up to the table and set their food and drinks down. “I have a buddy named Jason. He’s a cool dude.”

“Well if your Jason is the same as this guy, you’ve got another thing coming, Dude.” Percy unwrapped one of the tacos and took a bite. “This Jason is a jerk,” he said through a mouthful of taco.

“Hmm. Okay well, later dudes. Enjoy my famous tacos.” The boy walked back to the food truck singing something in Spanish.

“Anyway, what are you doing tomorrow?” Annabeth asked as she opened up her can of coke.

“I don’t know. I might go buy a new shirt. I need to dress fancy. All I have is t-shirts.” He crumpled his empty taco wrapper into a ball and finished off his coke.

“Hmm.” Standing up, she offered her hand for Percy to put his trash in. On their way back to the car Annabeth tossed their empty wrappers away. They waved to Leo and got in the car. “Well. I’m ready for a nap. Where does Grover live? I’ll drop you off.”

Twenty minutes later, the Impala sat in front of Pinewood Apartments. Percy sat in the passenger seat tapping his fingers on his (still damp) jeans. His hair had dried standing straight up so he looked as if he gelled it up for a rock concert. Annabeth tapped her fingers on the wheel willing herself not to fix it.

“Well, uh, thanks for taking me to the beach. I had loads of fun. Text me when you get home.” Percy closed the door. He squatted down, leaning in the window. “Oh, and Annie? I hope you and your friend have fun. Good luck with the convincing. Later, Chase.” Percy stood up and walked towards the front door. His hands were shoved into his pockets and he kept his head down.

“Percy!” Annabeth yelled, leaning across the passenger seat. He whipped around. “Thank you.” He smiled. Waving one last time, he entered the building.

On the drive home Annabeth’s chest felt warm. She’d just had a wonderful morning. Images of Percy’s smile and green eyes flashed through her mind. She felt bad about the way her heart skipped a beat when Percy smiled at her. She was going to meet up with Seaweedbrain, who she’d been dying to meet in person forever, and here she was, going on what could be considered dates with a guy she just met. She pulled into the garage and parked. In the hallway, her phone buzzed.

hey wisegirl.

sorry, i was busy earlier. i hope you have a good day too

Annabeth expected something more but that was it. He wasn’t texting like himself either. ‘You’ instead of ‘u’? ‘Too’ and not ‘2’? Was something wrong? Had she said something wrong? Was he having doubts about meeting up?

**hey, it’s fine**

**what were you up to?**

Anxieties filled Annabeth’s head as she opened the door. The apartment was empty. Thalia must have gone out. Sure enough, there was a note on the fridge:

Hey

Gone out to get groceries

Back in a bit :))

XOX Thalia

nothing much

**oh, well i’m excited for tomorrow**

**it’ll be so great to finally meet you irl**

oh yeah :]

im getting my fancy ready just for u ;o<3

_ There he is _ . Doubts still bounced around her head.

**oh yeah?**

**i can’t wait**

Annabeth walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her clothes were all rumpled and her hair was wild, and of course she had sand  _ everywhere _ . She hopped in the shower. She stood in the water for a while, just letting it wash over her, wash away her anxieties (well, most of them…).

Outside the bathroom, Thalia shouted: “Annabeth I’m home! I brought ice cream cause I know you and you’re definitely freaking out about tomorrow!” The door fell shut loudly behind her.

She was right. Annabeth had been freaking out about meeting up with Seaweedbrain. But now her anxieties about Jason were piled on top of them. Thalia hadn’t seen her brother in fifteen years and now Annabeth was about to tell her that they’ve been living in the same small town for who knows how long. She shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. She spent as long as she could in the bathroom but eventually she stepped out into the living room.

“Thal, I have to tell you something. I can’t wait till tomorrow.”

Thalia looked up from the grocery bags. “What’s up, you sound worried. Is it that seaweed guy? Did he cancel?”

“No, no. It’s uhm, it’s about your brother.” Thalia dropped the bananas onto the counter.

“Jason?” Bewilderment stuck to her face. “Wh- what could you possibly have to say about Jason?”

“You might want to sit down. Uh, yeah here.” Annabeth pulled a stool out from the island. Thalia nodded as she sat, staring at Annabeth. “Thalia, Jason is in town. I ran into him today at Solace’s. I’m sure it was him, I mentioned your name and he got all agitated. I- I, he goes to the same gym as Reyna. He knows you’re here, he just... doesn’t care.”

Thalia opened her mouth then closed it. “I don’t understand. How could he know I’m here but not bother to see me? You’re sure it’s him?”

Keys jingled in the door. Reyna walked in. “What’s wrong?” she asked, closing the door gently. “I see lots of concerned faces. What happened.” Her expression hardened. “Who do I need to hurt?”

“It’s Jason, he’s in town,” Thalia said.

  
  


“Jason? As in your brother, Jason?” Annabeth and Thalia nodded. “How do you know? Where is he? Why hasn’t he contacted us? Does he know you’re here?”

“I ran into him this morning at Solace Brew, he was kind of a jerk.” Thalia shot a glare in her direction. “Sorry, but he was. He’s known for a while that Thalia lives here. Actually, Reyna, he goes to your gym. He knows who you are.”

“And he didn’t tell me!” Reyna paced the length of the apartment.

“He doesn’t care apparently.” The bitterness in Thalia's voice was its own kind of loud. “Thanks for letting me know Annabeth. I need to be alone for a while.” She stood up and with a clap of Annabeth’s shoulder, she closed herself in the bedroom.

“Well.. I guess I’ll go take a nap then.” Reyna watched as Annabeth made her way to the spare bedroom and shut the door.

Inside she unzipped her suitcase. “I should have set this out when I got here,” Annabeth said to herself. She pulled her ‘fancy date dress’ (her friend Rachel had called it that) and hung it up on the door frame. The dress was a red sundress type of deal. When it was on it reached just below her mid-thigh. The straps crossed across her shoulder blades and tied in a small bow. Annabeth pulled out her planned shoes, a pair of tan three-inch heels her father had bought her to wear at graduation.

Looking at the dress all hung up and ready to wear made Annabeth feel woozy and tired. With a groan, she flopped onto her bed. She fell asleep right away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if ya'll like Jason, i personally just really don't like him soo...... 
> 
> also, this chapter is kinda short, i know, i just wanted to start on the reveal


	7. Meeting Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the reveal???? :0

“Annabeth, wake up! You slept a long time, you only have two hours till your date with the Seaweedbrain.” Reyna stood over Annabeth. She dragged the blanket off of her, throwing it on the floor. “I need you to get up and get ready. You don’t need to worry about Thalia or any of that Jason business, you just need to get ready.”

“What time is it?” Annabeth sat up, throwing her legs over the side of the bed.

“It’s almost three. You have to meet your boy at six, no?”

“Oh gods! Why didn’t you wake me sooner!” Annabeth grabbed her phone. Nine notifications. “Thanks, Reyna.”

[10:20 AM]: moring annie

[10:22 AM]: u must still be sleeping, i slept for a long time 2

[10:26 AM]: anyway, just wanted 2 wish u luck with ur friend :)

morning wisegirl :D

u ready for 2day? im super excited

!!!!

i got my fancy shirt and i'm already 2 go

o i have four hours, guess i could shower first

yea, it would be a bad impression 2 be all smelly ;)

**good moring!!**

**sorry im responding so late! I just woke up ahaha**

**you’re right, no stinky boys allowed ;l**

[3:00 PM]: good afternoon percy

[3:01 PM]: i just woke up :0 i slept for sooo long!

[3:05 PM]: i appreciate it

[3:10 PM]: have fun with your gf

_ Gods what a  _ loser _! I can’t even spell out girlfriend! What am I doing anyway, he  _ has a girlfriend. _ Gods, Annabeth, you’re such a loser. No more feelings! You’re going to see Seaweedbrain today! _

Annabeth continued to chidd herself as she got in the shower. Today she washed her hair with the special strawberry shampoo she brought with her from New York. All dried off she started on her hair. She tested it in a variety of hairstyles, ending up with a braid looping behind her neck. For her makeup, she just left it at lip gloss and mascara.

She checked the time on her phone. “Shoot, it's already 5:15? I just woke up though!” The dress slipped on easily. Looking in the mirror she felt self-conscious.  _ What if he doesn’t think I’m pretty? _ “No. Bad Annabeth, no negative thinking you’ll just psych yourself out.”

“Wow, you look great.” Annabeth could see Reyna leaning in the doorway in the reflection. “That color suits you.”

“Thanks, Reyna. Is uhm, is Thalia..?”

“She’s fine. Here let me help.” Reyna crossed the small bedroom and helped adjust the straps of Annabeth’s dress. “I think the knowledge just stressed her out a bit because she’s never really stopped worrying about him. She just needs some time to think.”

“I shouldn’t have sprung it on her like that. I could have waited.” The girls stepped back from the mirror.

“No, you did the right thing. She’s glad you told her. You should get going, you don’t want to be late. Here,” Reyna handed Annabeth the keys to the impala. 

All Annabeth’s jumbled nerves faded a little bit. She grabbed Reyna, pulling her into a hug. After a second Reyna wrapped her arms around Annabeth.

“Okay, whew. Here we go.” Annabeth took a step back and shook out her hands. “I just uh. I’m gonna grab a jacket. On her way to the door, Annabeth stopped to pull one of Thalia’s many leather jackets from the closet. She grabbed the cleanest, least ripped up or drawn on one. “Bye, guys! I’ll be back.” Annabeth flipped Reyna an awkward thumbs up and she walked out the door.

“Bye Annabeth. Good luck.” Reyna waved till the door was closed.

In the car, Annabeth checked off everything she needed. Phone, check. Extra lip gloss, check. Jacket, check. Spare shoes, check.  _ What else? _ She looked in the back seat. “What the.” Thrown over the headrest was a black zip-up. She checked the tag. PJ. “Percy’s.. Okay, well I’ll just return it later.” She drove off.

She drove with the windows down, letting the cool air wash over her. Seaweedbrain had chosen the park to be their meet up spot. Conveniently the drive to the park was only about seven minutes. Unfortunately, that didn’t give her enough time to prepare herself. She parked across the street. Looking out the window she tried to guess where her date might be. Her phone screen lit up on the passenger seat.

im here

Annabeth fumbled for her phone, her hands shaking.

**me too**

**just parked.**

im at the fountain :)

..gods im so nervous

**don’t worry i am too**

**if you see a nervous wreck in a red dress walking up to you, that's me**

haha im sure u look gorgeous wisegirl

**okayokay whew**

**on my way :)**

Annabeth reached for the door handle but pulled back. She hesitated. Looking in the mirror again she shook her head. “You’ll be fine. He won’t leave,” she said to herself.

She got out of the car.

The sun had started to set, sending a pink haze over the park. The noise of cars driving by, people talking, and the fountain all sounded faint to her. She was halfway to the fountain now. There was only one person there.

A boy was sitting on the fountain's rim. His head was down, his attention turned to his phone. His shirt was a neat button-up (the sleeves were partially rolled up his forearms but the look remained fancy enough) tucked into dark pants. Teal socks printed with dolphins peaked out between his dress shoes and pants. Annabeth took a deep breath and kept walking.

“Not going to lie,” she said as she got closer. “I was expecting one of those shirts with the tuxedo prin..t.” The boy had looked up from his phone. His messy black hair hung down in front of his green eyes. “Percy?”

“Annie?  _ Wisegirl? _ ” Percy stood up, pushing his hair back. “You’re Wisegirl?” Percy slapped his forehead. He shut his eyes for the count of five.

“Are you.. Are you disappointed?” Annabeth looked at her feet, all her fears flooding back to the surface. “I’m sorry if you were expecting someone else. I know I was, but I’m sorta glad it’s you.” Annabeth looked up to meet his eyes. His mouth was hanging open slightly. “You are, aren’t you. Disappointed, I mean.” She felt self-conscious about the way he was looking at her now. His green eyes trailed her face, his mouth still hanging open partly. 

“What?” He shook his head. “No way. No way.” He laughed as the words came out. “Annabeth Chase, I’m glad it’s you. To be honest I was really conflicted about tonight. I was worried because I think I really like you, Annie.”

Annabeth smiled. “I think I really like you too, Jackson.” Percy lifted her up into a hug. Annabeth felt her face grow hot. She was embarrassingly aware of the way his arms wrapped around her torso. When he put her back down she nodded toward the car. “You ready to go? I got us a reservation at some random restaurant.”

“Sure.” Percy smiled sloppily (he reminded Annabeth of a happy puppy). He grabbed her hand shyly and together they walked to the car. Annabeth unlocked the doors and they got in. Percy spotted his jacket on the seat.

“Hey I was wondering where this went,” he exclaimed. He continued to throw it onto the back seat. Annabeth stared at him. “What? It’s not like I need it right now? I’ll get it later.”

“Yeah, sure you will. What time is it?”

Percy checked his phone. “Uhh, five forty-seven.” Annabeth took notice that his lock screen was of a meme, after a few moments she recognized the meme as one she had sent him (well... to seaweedbrain).

“Nice. I hope you like pasta.” Annabeth turned the car on and drove.

The restaurant was packed. Annabeth was glad she had gotten a reservation. The waitress showed her and Percy to their table after a fifteen-minute wait. Sitting down they ordered two glasses of water.

“This place is uh, super fancy.” Percy looked a little nervous. Annabeth couldn’t tell if it was because of the restaurant or her. “Looks expensive.”

Annabeth looked at him over her menu. He had done his hair. Even though it was still messy she could tell he had tried to gel it back. His hands were fiddling over the menu. Annabeth put her menu down and grabbed his hand. He looked down at their hands. She pulled back and blushed, pushing a loose hair behind her ear.

“We don’t have to eat here if you don’t want to. We could go get coffee or something else. I really don’t care. I just figured this was a standard ‘date’ activity, you know?” Percy looked relieved. “Yeah, let's go. I’ll tell the waitress we’re giving up our table.”

Annabeth flagged down their waitress. “Hi, we have to go. Someone else can have our table. Sorry for the trouble.” She handed the girl a five-dollar.

Outside Percy and Annabeth walked to the car. “So.. what do we do now?” he asked.

“Not sure. I should get some gas though. Reyna was nice enough to lend me her car so I should probably fill up the tank.”

“Alright.” He looked at her. “You know, your hair looks really pretty like this. I like it.”

“Really? I hate it.” They laughed. Annabeth reached back and undid her braid. Having her hair hanging loose around her shoulders made her feel better.

“You still look pretty.” Percy pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. His fingers brushed her cheek. He looked away, clearing his throat. “Uhm, yeah.” he began flipping through Reyna’s CD collection. “Ooo, look.” He held up a CD case for Annabeth to look at.

“Taylor Swift?”

“Annie, don’t look so disappointed. Taylor is a goddess. Just listen,” he said as he took the CD out of its case and slipped it into the stereo. “ I'm walking fast through the traffic lights, busy streets and busy lives, and all we know!!” Percy sang and drummed his fingers on the dashboard. "Is touch and go!"

Annabeth laughed and joined in. 

“And I never, saw you coming, and I'll never, be the same!!”

By the time  _ I Knew You Were Trouble _ had ended Annabeth pulled up to a gas pump. Annabeth’s heart was dancing inside her chest. Euphoria spun around inside her. she and Percy both got out of the car.

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to grab some snacks,” he said.

“Okay, I’ll be right in let me just get this going.”

Percy jogged to the door. Annabeth pumped the gas then followed him in. She found him next to the Slushie machine.

“Hey,” he looked over his shoulder. “Want one?”

“I’m good. What snacks have you gotten?” Percy scooted over a little bit, revealing a pile of food. He had grabbed a bag of those chocolate doughnuts, some candy (all blue for some reason), and two Arizona teas. “Oh wow. That’s a lot of sugar.”

Percy smiled. “Well-" he paused." Actually, I have no reasoning besides that’s what looked good. I hope you’re fine with the teas.”

“What flavors did you get?”

“Strawberry Lemonade. You like strawberries, right?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Are you ready?”

Percy turned around, all the snacks in his arms. “Ready, Freddy.” Annabeth decided not to ask what he meant. Annabeth paid for the gas and Percy paid for the snacks. He piled everything in the back seat beside his Slurpee which he had already drained half of.

“You’re going to get a brain freeze, you should probably slow down.”

Percy shrugged and turned the stereo back on. The CD started where they had left off. “We’ll see, Wisegirl.” Him saying ‘wisegirl’ out loud sent a jolt through her body. She began to process that, yes this is her boy. Her _ Seaweedbrain.  _ A smile grew on her face.

“Where to, Seaweed Brain.” Percy made a face. Apparently he’d just had the same realization. Annabeth chuckled. “I guess it’s up to me then.”

Annabeth drove without really an idea where she was headed. They passed streetlights and other cars. Percy bopped his head and sang along to Taylor Swift as they drove. With his window down he would occasionally stick his hand out into the night air. Eventually, they passed the city limits. They reached PCH. They were the only car on the road. Annabeth turned down a ramp leading to the sand. She parked at the bottom.

She hopped out of the car and grabbed a blanket from the trunk. She walked back to the front of the car. “Ready for a picnic?”

“Absolutely.” Percy helped Annabeth spread the blanket out on top of the car, then he grabbed the snacks from the back seat. Before climbing up Annabeth slipped off her heels, replacing them with her old beat up converse. Percy offered her his hand and helped her up.

Lying on her back Annabeth looked up at the sky. Percy lied down next to her. There were few lamp posts around so the stars were vibrant. Annabeth pointed out constellations and Percy named off random facts about the ocean. About an hour passed when Annabeth got hungry. She sat up (criss-cross of course). Percy did the same. They cracked open their teas and ripped open the doughnuts.

“Did you know that Poseidon created horses. What was he thinking when he made those things,” Percy said through a mouth full of mini doughnut.

“Percy… You know we met on an online chat about Greek Mythology, right.”

“Oh yeah. Oops.” He took a sip of his tea. “So.. when do you fly home?”

“Oh, uh, well I fly home in a couple of days. But I come back in August to get ready for school. I’ll be studying architecture. I wanna build something permanent, you know?”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. To do something that matters. So this school you plan on going to.. If I remember correctly you were planning on asking me to come with you, no?”

“Would you want to? There are probably plenty of things you could study at New Rome. Marine Biology? I know you like the ocean.”

“Surfing?”

Annabeth laughed. “Maybe not, but it is close to the beach.”

“That would be cool. Are you sure you want me to come?” He looked anxious as if she would change her mind and tell him to leave.

She offered him her hand. He took it softly. “Of course. You’re my best friend, Seaweed Brain.”

“Just your best friend?” he teased.

She nudged his shoulder. “Oh shut up.” She leaned in and kissed him. He smiled against her lips and kissed her back.


	8. Extra Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is an extra chapter just because i had the idea and i just reallllyyyyyy wanted to write it haha  
> n e way, enjoy your extra percabeth <3

Five years have passed since Annabeth and Percy’s first date. 

Three days after their date, Annabeth had flown home to New York. Percy had flown home the day after. A week later they met up again (realizing they had lived quite close to one another all along). Annabeth remembered when she had met his mom for the first time.

“Mom, this is my girlfriend Annabeth.” Percy looked nervous.

His mom, Sally, had been extremely nice. She hugged Annabeth before she’d even introduced herself. “Nice to meet you, I’m Sally,” she’d said.

The two had talked for hours before Paul and Estelle (Percy’s stepdad and little sister) had gotten home. Annabeth loved them both immediately. Sally and Paul had made Annabeth feel so welcomed and at home on that first day that she never wanted to leave. But eventually, she had to go back to her own apartment.

Annabeth and Percy continued to hang out almost every day until August came around. They made plans to drive to California together, later Sally, Thalia, and Reyna would be helping them move into their dorms. On the drive, they had stopped by the gateway arch, Las Vegas, and numerous other places.

When they arrived at New Rome Annabeth and Percy met their new roommates. Annabeth was going to be rooming with a girl named Piper, and Percy would be rooming with that Leo kid who had sold them tacos months before on the beach. She, Percy, Piper, and Leo became close friends right away.

During their third year at New Rome, Annabeth and Percy moved out of their dorms and got an apartment together. Hazel (the girl from the movie theater) became Piper’s new roommate. She and her boyfriend were accepted into the group immediately.

Over the summers, Percy and Annabeth would fly back to New York to see their old friends and visit Percy’s family. Around Christmas, Annabeth would visit her dad for a couple of days at a time. Annabeth’s dad loved Percy when they met for the first time.

When they graduated, Percy and Annabeth moved closer to the beach. Annabeth got her first job helping come up with the design for 'The Olympian Suites' and Percy found a job working with the animals at the closest marine park. They spent almost all their time off work with Piper, Leo, Frank, and Hazel. Occasionally, Reyna and Thalia would join them.

Now, Annabeth navigated her way through the streets. All around her people were pushing around, their arms full of shopping bags. Guys dressed as Santa stood at almost every corner ringing bells and shouting ‘Ho Ho Ho’. Finally, she reached Solace Brew. Inside, Piper waved to her from a table in the corner. Percy had saved her a seat next to him. She sat down. Everyone was here. Reyna, Thalia, Percy, Piper, Leo, even those two kids she and Percy met at the movie theater all those years ago, Hazel and her boyfriend Frank. At the barista station, Will and his boyfriend Nico waved to Annabeth, she waved back.

“Merry Christmas, guys,” Annabeth said. She kissed Percy’s cheek and squeezed Piper’s hand. “So what were you guys talking about?”

“Nothing, just making plans for Christmas.” Percy slung his arm around the back of Annabeth's chair. “We were thinking about having a party at Piper’s Dad’s house.”

“Uhm, since when?” Piper raised her eyebrows.

“Oh, come on, Beauty Queen,” Leo said, reaching across the table for her. “Your dad has like, six mansions, he won’t mind if we throw a little get together at one of ‘em.”

Piper laughed. “Chh. Sure, ‘get together’. That’s exactly what it’ll be.” She was leaning back in her chair, her arms crossed over her hideous green Christmas sweater.

“Piper, don’t worry, we’ll clean up after. Scouts honor.” Leo smiled cheesily.

Piper looked around the table at all the smiling faces and sighed. “Fine. But you have to clean up after. Annabeth, Reyna, I’m counting on you to make sure they do it. You too Frank.” Frank blushed.

“Sure things, Piper,” He said.

The eight of them sat around that table for hours before it started to get dark. Hazel and Frank left first, then Thalia and Reyna. After a while, Piper and Leo left too. That left Percy and Annabeth alone.

“Hey, wanna go?” Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand and they left, waving Will and Nico goodbye. Percy led Annabeth to the park. “So what are your plans for Christmas day? You going to see your dad again?”

“No, I don’t think so.” They passed joggers and other couples as they walked down the paths. “I think I’m going to stay here this year. Is your family coming to town?”

Percy’s face lit up. “Yup. Mom confirmed their flight this morning.” He smiled. “Estelle will be happy to know you'll be here to see her. Let’s sit.” They took a seat under the treeline.

“Well, I’m excited to see her too.” Annabeth rested her head on Percy’s shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her. “Can you believe it? We’ve been through so much. I love you.” Annabeth kissed him.

“I love you.” Percy looked at her. “Wow. Almost seven years, six years if you only want to count when we were dating.”

“Yeah, it’s been a long time, Seaweed Brain.”

“Annabeth,” Percy shifted, causing Annabeth to raise her head. She looked at him. His cheeks were red. “Would you-” He took a deep breath and stood up. “Annabeth Chase, will you marry me?”

Annabeth felt her mouth fall open. She jumped up, a huge smile on her face. “I- yes!” Annabeth wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tip-toes. “Oh my gods, yes!”

Percy let out a breath as if he’d been holding it. “Oh thank gods.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her around. “Oh thank gods,” he said again, quieter this time. “Wait,” he pulled back, “here I have a, I have an uh. Here!” He pulled a small loop from his pocket. Annabeth held her hand out and he slipped the dainty gold band onto her finger.

Upon closer inspection, Annabeth noticed an engraving. “Is that Greek?”

“Yeah, ancient greek, because of how we met. It says ‘something permanent’. It’s probably really cheesy but I just remembered-”

“Our first date, when I said I wanted to build something permanent.” Annabeth took Percy’s hand. “And that’s exactly what we’ll do, Seaweed brain.” She pulled him into a kiss. “I love you to the moon.”

“And to Saturn.”

“And to Pluto and back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is it ya'll, thank you for reading my little story. i really hop eyou enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it :) maybe if you come back to my acc in the future i'll have posted another story (percabeth or other idk) i surely have tons of ideas left  
> have a wonderful day/night (whenever you're reading this)


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